Mike Ryan Leaned On Small Town Living as Inspiration for ‘Blink You’ll Miss It’

Months before Mike Ryan ever thought to put out new music, he kept circling back around to one idea: focusing on his humble beginnings.

The Texas country star gave a good impression of himself when he released Bad Reputation out to fans, but deep inside, he knew he wanted to show another more vulnerable side to his personality through his songs. His hometown and his friends from back in the day kept making their way back into his lyrics when he sat for writing sessions, and it felt like a flashing sign that this was the nostalgic direction he needed to go to on his next project.

Seeking guidance from collaborators such as Randall Clay and Casey Twist, Ryan relied on his habitual instincts by way of his appreciation for his upbringing and stuck with that theme while making Blink You’ll Miss It.

“I felt like as soon as that idea was presented by Randall everything just started falling out. The three of us had plenty of stories to tell and examples about small town living and just the things that that song talks about. That was an obvious choice for the title track of the record once we had all the songs that we had written for it come together. That was a obvious theme and with some of the album artwork and all that other stuff it ties in those family pictures and early on stuff that I did growing up,” Ryan told Sounds Like Nashville during an interview.

Not only did Ryan put his heart toward the hometown feeling, but also the way his new stuff would make his fans feel. Always considering their opinions and connections when he lays down a track, he hopes for his listeners to understand the stories he fuses into lyrics.

With “Sad Song,” the response blew up throughout his supporters and they even let the singer know how much of an impact the song made on their lives. It’s those little moments that spark the creativity back into Ryan’s songwriting approach and realize all the hard work is worth it.

“I’ve gotten that appreciation I guess from the fans,” Ryan explained. “They seem to relate and it’s helped them through some tough times. I guess the best compliment that I could get is when folks say that a song that I’ve written has helped them through a tough time because that’s ultimately all I’m doing. I help myself through writing. The problems that I go through and stresses of life and stuff like that, they seem a little bit better after you’ve penned a good song. Just something about it helps me and to know that something that I’ve done has helped somebody else is really cool.”

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